On the observation deck of the liner, a sharp and loud horn sounded. It tore through the wind and rain and awoke all the passengers.
They didn't have the time to wear their clothes as they ran to the windows in coats, pajamas, or bare feet to take in the situation outside.
Half of them quickly saw the gigantic three-masted sailboat that didn't conform to common sense. They saw the three pitch-black sails, as well as the lumps of dim yellow that swayed in the darkness.
Together with the howling winds, the pattering rain, and the night sky where the crimson moon and stars couldn't be seen, many passengers felt as though the ship had sailed out of hell, bringing with it indescribable horror and majesty.
The Black Emperor!
After a brief moment of shock and panic, this name surfaced in their minds.
Anyone who had experience at sea, or had lived in the port cities of the various colonies for a period of time, would more or less know of the existence of such a pirate ship!
"Oh, may the Storm be with us."
"May the Goddess bless us!"
"Holy Steam!"
…
Prayers rang out subconsciously, filled with fear and helplessness.
These passengers knew very well that the owner of the Black Emperor was the one with the highest bounty on the Five Seas. In a sense, he was the Pirate King, a powerful figure who could remain active despite being surrounded by the fleets of various countries. He wasn't someone the liner's cannons and crew could withstand.
This meant that they were about to fall into the hands of pirates!
Many women couldn't help but imagine the scene of being bullied by pirates and being sold to an unfamiliar land. Some of them trembled, while others had their knees go limp as they slid down from the windows and knelt to the ground. Some hurriedly found their daggers and revolvers. It was unknown if they wanted to resist or if they didn't wish to face the worst outcome. Some couldn't find their weapons, so they moved their clothes racks to the side.
The men didn't do any better. Apart from a small number of people drawing their weapons in an attempt to organize a resistance, the rest were either in a daze, searching for a place to hide, or cursing the darn liner and the King of the Five Seas.
Finally, the captain's voice was transmitted to everyone's ears through a particular loudspeaker.
"Silence! There's no need to be afraid!
"The owner of the Black Emperor has his own laws. Unlike other pirates, he and his men only plunder and do nothing else!"
These words were repeated several times, and the panicking passengers finally calmed down a little. They were no longer as afraid.
Compared to what they had imagined, being able to survive and not be bullied was already a very good result.
After dozens of seconds, some of the passengers thought about how they had worked hard for so many years and finally had some savings. Now that they were going to lose all of it, it was really unbearable. Grief surged, and they actually cried.
Some of them even borrowed money to start a business. If they couldn't bring back the money this time, their families would probably have to live on the streets and rely on the workhouse.
Thinking of this, they quickly took action and hid the money in various hidden places, hoping to keep as much as possible. After doing all this, they gripped their weapons tightly, ready to die with the pirates at the critical moment.
Even wild beasts would retaliate before death, let alone humans?
At this moment, many of the pirates on the Black Emperor were already waiting by the side of the ship according to their orders. They were prepared to jump onto the "prey" once they closed the distance.
Their second mate, Terror Viscount Bord Mustang, was holding up a telescope and observing the liner in front of him indifferently. He was silently calculating how long it would take for both parties to close in.
This pirate, who had a bounty of more than ten thousand pounds, was wearing an Intis shirt with complicated patterns on his collar and sleeves. He wore a dark red captain's suit, as though he was waiting for a banquet to begin and not a robbery.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he couldn't see any traces of the liner!
Bord Mustang hurriedly moved his telescope to search, but there was nothing in that direction apart from the waves stirred up by the strong winds and the red-headed sea eagles that liked to hunt for fish in the storm.
Such a huge steam and sail hybrid liner had disappeared just like that!
"…" Bord Mustang's eyes shimmered, unable to make an accurate judgment.
"Where's the ship?"
"What about such a large ship?"
"It was there a moment ago!"
…
The pirates on the deck also sensed that something was amiss as they exclaimed in shock.
Ghost ship? No, how can there be a ghost ship of such a shape? This is a steam-powered hybrid that has only become popular in recent decades … An illusion? Someone used a large-scale illusion to hide the liner? An illusion of this level must be at the demigod level … Bord Mustang's thoughts raced as he put away the telescope and walked towards the cabin.
During this entire process, the measurement of distance seemed to be in disarray. Bord Mustang only took seven or eight steps to cover a considerable distance. He came to the bottom of the captain's cabin and bowed respectfully.
"Earl, something abnormal happened during the hunt."
On the Black Emperor, King of the Five Seas Nast always addressed himself as Earl. This was a title conferred by Rosell The Great.
Of course, he also publicly announced that he would establish a pirate nation sooner or later, becoming an archduke, a prince, and even an emperor.
After a brief silence, a deep and authoritative voice sounded from the captain's cabin.
"Circle around it."
"By your will!" Bord Mustang didn't ask why as he immediately agreed.
Of course, he could imagine the reason.
Regardless of whether it was an illusion or not, to make such a large steam-powered liner disappear without a trace under the watchful eyes of hundreds of pirates was definitely not something a Low- or Mid-Sequence Beyonder could do. There had to be a demigod or a powerhouse who wielded a demigod-level Sealed Artifact on the ship!
And to clash with an unknown demigod over an ordinary liner was definitely not a rational action. Even if Earl White Maple, Nast, was the King of the Five Seas, he wouldn't rashly do such a thing unless there was a direct conflict of interest or standpoint.
From this angle, the demigod was only hiding the liner without counterattacking. This also meant that he didn't wish to engage in an intense conflict with the Black Emperor and the King of the Five Seas. Therefore, he was only revealing his existence as a form of deterrence.
Bord Mustang immediately got his sailors to leave the side of the ship and change the course of the Black Emperor.
At this moment, a huge and heavy red-headed sea eagle suddenly left its flock and flew towards the Black Emperor. It circled high above the ghost ship.
Amidst the confusion of the pirates, the red-headed sea eagle looked down at the deck and spoke in a deep human voice.
"I wish to meet Earl White Maple."
Bord Mustang was taken aback for a second before he cast his gaze towards the cabin.
King of the Five Seas Nast's stern voice sounded again. He didn't directly answer the red-headed sea eagle and instead instructed his subordinates.
"Let him in."
Just as Bord Mustang was about to follow the order, the red-headed sea eagle swooped down in the dark storm. Its body gradually changed as it twisted and squirmed into a human form.
By the time it landed on the deck, there were no more red-headed sea eagles. There was only a man wearing a top hat and a banquet outfit with a feathered mask on his face.
Bord Mustang's pupils dilated slightly, as though he was trying to get a clearer look at the man.
However, no matter how he observed, he couldn't find anything abnormal about the pompous man. It was as though the red-headed sea eagle had never appeared.
A few seconds later, Bord Mustang's pupils dilated even more. This was because the man in the feathered mask had passed in front of him, allowing him to see his side profile.
The man who had been invited to attend the banquet was very thin. He was only the width of two fingers!
For an instant, Bord Mustang seemed to see a walking paper figurine, but it was a little thicker than a paper figurine!
Monster … He swallowed his saliva with great difficulty as he watched the terrifying demigod walk towards the cabin.
The pirates on the deck took a few steps back in unison and leaned against the side of the ship, as though what they had just seen was a nightmare.
To them, this extremely odd-proportioned man was something they had never seen in their lives. He was more terrifying than many of the monsters they had seen in the past.
On the third floor of the cabin, outside the captain's room.
Klein reached out to grab the handle, twisted it, and opened the door.
He had made himself appear so strange. It was a half-passive and half-active action. The passive action was because the red-headed sea eagle wasn't large enough. After splitting off a portion of its body to make clothes and masks, even without the organs, it was unable to support a normal human body. The active action was because he began to explore and attempt acting as a Bizarro Sorcerer. He had some ideas.
Being a Sorcerer wasn't the main point. The main point was to use a Sorcerer's method to express the word "bizarro!"
With a slight creak, the dark door opened, revealing the scene inside the captain's room.
Candlesticks hung down from high above. There were 41 on the left and 40 on the right. The numbers varied, and at the end of them was a black platform that surrounded an iron-black chair.
King of the Five Seas Nast's figure was rather normal at that moment. He was slightly more than 1.9 meters tall, unlike the giant Klein had encountered before.
He was still wearing the steeple crown that was of equal size. He was wearing a black robe with silver edges. His face was chiseled, and there were some wrinkles on his forehead. He had a short black beard, and his deep black eyes flowed with a dark red glow. It made people subconsciously want to lower their heads.
"I've never seen you before," Nast said in a deep voice. "Mr. Bizarro Sorcerer."
Klein took off his hat and bowed.
"I know you now."
Nast's voice, which made Spirit Bodies tremble, echoed in the captain's room.
"Speak. Why do you want to meet me?"
"Earl, I wish to know your impression of Rosell The Great. Everyone knows that you and your father have met 'Him' more than once," Klein replied, unaffected.
Nast swept his gaze at the paper figurine-like demigod as the dark red glow in his eyes brightened a little.
"Have a seat."
Before he finished his sentence, Klein felt a powerful pressure. He had no choice but to obey the order and sit on the chair beside him.
However, he was only a marionette. With a flick of his Spirit Body Threads, the figure that was as thin as a book rapidly stabilized.
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